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Dispensationalism III - Lesson 6
Attached Audio:
- JOHN THE BAPTIST (Luke 16:16The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it.
See All...) - The Man
- His miraculous birth (Luke 1:5-25 [5] There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth.
[6] And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.
[7] And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years.
[8] And it came to pass, that while he executed the priest's office before God in the order of his course,
[9] According to the custom of the priest's office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord.
[10] And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense.
[11] And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense.
[12] And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.
[13] But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.
[14] And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth.
[15] For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb.
[16] And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God.
[17] And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.
[18] And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years.
[19] And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings.
[20] And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season.
[21] And the people waited for Zacharias, and marvelled that he tarried so long in the temple.
[22] And when he came out, he could not speak unto them: and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple: for he beckoned unto them, and remained speechless.
[23] And it came to pass, that, as soon as the days of his ministration were accomplished, he departed to his own house.
[24] And after those days his wife Elisabeth conceived, and hid herself five months, saying,
[25] Thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the days wherein he looked on me, to take away my reproach among men.
See All...) - Filled with the Holy Ghost from birth (Luke 1:15For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb.
See All...) - Did not drink wine or strong drink (Luke 1:15For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb.
See All...) - In the spirit and power of Elijah (Luke 1:16-17 [16] And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God.
[17] And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.
See All...) - Malachi’s prophecy (Malachi 4:5-6 [5] Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:
[6] And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.
See All...) - John’s life (Matthew 3:4And the same John had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey.
See All... with 2 Kings 1:8And they answered him, He was an hairy man, and girt with a girdle of leather about his loins. And he said, It is Elijah the Tishbite.
See All...) - John’s denial (John 1:21And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No.
See All...) - Christ’s teaching (Matthew 11:13-15 [13] For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.
[14] And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come.
[15] He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
See All...) - Scripture’s explanation (Luke 1:17And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.
See All...) - The prophet of the Highest (Luke 1:76And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways;
See All...; Matthew 11:9But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet.
See All...) - No greater man born of woman (Matthew 11:11Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
See All...) - The least in the kingdom of God/heaven (Matthew 11:11Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
See All...; Luke 7:28For I say unto you, Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist: but he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.
See All...) - Marked the division between the law and the kingdom (Matthew 11:13For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.
See All...; Luke 16:16The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it.
See All...) - His Mission
- He came as a voice crying in the wilderness (Isaiah 40:3-5 [3] The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
[4] Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain:
[5] And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.
See All...; Matthew 3:3For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.
See All...; John 1:23He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias.
See All...) - He came as a messenger to prepare the way of the Lord (Malachi 3:1Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the LORD, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.
See All...; Mark 1:1-2 [1] The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God; [2] As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.
See All...; Luke 1:17And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.
See All..., 76); as such, John is known as the forerunner of Jesus Christ - He came as a witness of the Lord Jesus Christ (John 1:6-9 [6] There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
[7] The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.
[8] He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.
[9] That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.
See All..., 15, 29-34; John 3:25-30 [25] Then there arose a question between some of John's disciples and the Jews about purifying. [26] And they came unto John, and said unto him, Rabbi, he that was with thee beyond Jordan, to whom thou barest witness, behold, the same baptizeth, and all men come to him. [27] John answered and said, A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven. [28] Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him. [29] He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled. [30] He must increase, but I must decrease.
See All...; John 5:31-33 [31] If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true. [32] There is another that beareth witness of me; and I know that the witness which he witnesseth of me is true. [33] Ye sent unto John, and he bare witness unto the truth.
See All...) - His Message
- The Kingdom of God
- The kingdom is at hand
- The kingdom of heaven (Matthew 3:1-2 [1] In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea,
[2] And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
See All...) - The kingdom of God (Mark 1:14-15 [14] Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,
[15] And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.
See All...) - The kingdom of the God of heaven (Daniel 2:44And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.
See All...) - A literal, earthly kingdom (Matthew 19:28And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
See All...) - The gospel of the kingdom (Matthew 4:23And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.
See All...; Matthew 9:35And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.
See All...; Matthew 24:13-14 [13] But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. [14] And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
See All...); to be covered in detail in later notes - The call to repent (Matthew 3:2And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
See All...; Mark 1:14-15 [14] Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, [15] And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.
See All...) - The Baptism of Repentance
- Called John’s baptism (Acts 19:1-5 [1] And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples,
[2] He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost.
[3] And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John's baptism.
[4] Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.
[5] When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
See All...) - A baptism in water (Matthew 3:11I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance. but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:
See All...; Luke 3:16John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire:
See All...; John 1:26John answered them, saying, I baptize with water: but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not;
See All..., 33) - A baptism preceded by a turning from sin (Luke 3:7-14 [7] Then said he to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
[8] Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.
[9] And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
[10] And the people asked him, saying, What shall we do then?
[11] He answereth and saith unto them, He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise.
[12] Then came also publicans to be baptized, and said unto him, Master, what shall we do?
[13] And he said unto them, Exact no more than that which is appointed you.
[14] And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, And what shall we do? And he said unto them, Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages.
See All...); in other words, the baptism was not the repentance itself but only an outward expression that the person had already repented - A baptism marked by confession of sins (Matthew 3:6And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins.
See All...; Mark 1:5And there went out unto him all the land of Judaea, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of him in the river of Jordan, confessing their sins.
See All...) - A baptism that offered remission of sins (Mark 1:4John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.
See All...; Luke 3:3And he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins;
See All...; Acts 2:38Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
See All...) - Twelve scriptural references to remission, remit, remitted (Matthew 26:28For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
See All...; Mark 1:4John did baptize in the wilderness, and preach the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins.
See All...; Luke 1:77To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins,
See All...; Luke 3:3And he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins;
See All...; Luke 24:47And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
See All...; John 20:23Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.
See All...(2); Acts 2:38Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
See All...; Acts 10:43To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.
See All...; Romans 3:25Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;
See All...; Hebrews 9:22And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.
See All...; Hebrews 10:18Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin.
See All...) - Meaning of remission
- Literally means to send back
- To refrain from exacting payment
- To refrain from inflicting punishment
- To put off; to postpone
- Some biblical uses of remission
- Benefit of the Old Testament sacrifices (Hebrews 9:22And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.
See All...) - Covering of Old Testament sins (Romans 3:25Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;
See All... with Hebrews 9:15And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.
See All...) - To be blotted out in the future (Acts 3:19Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.
See All...; Romans 11:26-27 [26] And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: [27] For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.
See All...; Jeremiah 50:20In those days, and in that time, saith the LORD, the iniquity of Israel shall be sought for, and there shall be none; and the sins of Judah, and they shall not be found: for I will pardon them whom I reserve.
See All...) - This led to a knowledge of salvation (Luke 1:77To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins,
See All...; see John 1:7The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.
See All..., 29-30; Acts 13:23-25 [23] Of this man's seed hath God according to his promise raised unto Israel a Saviour, Jesus: [24] When John had first preached before his coming the baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel. [25] And as John fulfilled his course, he said, Whom think ye that I am? I am not he. But, behold, there cometh one after me, whose shoes of his feet I am not worthy to loose.
See All...) - NOTE: The baptism of repentance for the remission of sins was not an act, which brought salvation. It was given to Israel as preparation for the coming of the King and His kingdom. Israel had rebelled against the Lord and was not ready for the coming kingdom. John preached a way for them to prepare for the kingdom. They were to repent and then be baptized for the remission of sins. In this, God would refrain from exacting payment for their sins. This would lead them to the knowledge of salvation through faith in the Messiah when He arrived (see Mark 1:14-15 [14] Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,
[15] And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.
See All...). - The Coming of Christ
- One to come after John (Luke 3:15-18 [15] And as the people were in expectation, and all men mused in their hearts of John, whether he were the Christ, or not;
[16] John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire:
[17] Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and will gather the wheat into his garner; but the chaff he will burn with fire unquenchable.
[18] And many other things in his exhortation preached he unto the people.
See All...; Mark 1:1-3 [1] The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God; [2] As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. [3] The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.
See All...) - He will baptize with the Holy Ghost (Luke 3:16John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire:
See All...; Acts 1:4-7 [4] And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. [5] For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. [6] When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? [7] And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.
See All...) - The Lamb of God who takes away sin (John 1:29-36 [29] The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
[30] This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me: for he was before me.
[31] And I knew him not: but that he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water.
[32] And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him.
[33] And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost.
[34] And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God.
[35] Again the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples;
[36] And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God!
See All...)